Bible verse of the week: Jesus taught what ‘fulfilment’ of the law actually means, says faith leader

“Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy them, but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).

This verse is from the Gospel of Matthew, one of the three synoptic gospels of the New Testament.

Not much is known about Saint Matthew, to whom the Gospel of Matthew is attributed, according to the Christian website Overviewbible.com.

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When Matthew was called by Jesus as one of his disciples, he was employed as a publican or publican. This is “one of the most despised professions in ancient Judaism,” the site said.

Although he is one of the authors of the Gospels, “there are only seven mentions of him in the entire Bible,” the same source notes.

This verse from Matthew is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, illustrated here in a vintage engraving. (iStock)

The verse from Matthew’s Gospel serves to teach Christians the double meaning of fulfillment, said Fr. Thomas Petri, president of the Dominican Study House in Washington, DC

“At the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, which most people consider to be the central teaching of Jesus Christ, we find him insisting that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it,” Petri told Fox News Digital.

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Although many of the laws in the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Hebrew Bible—concern morality, “historically, Christians have not felt an obligation to follow the many ceremonial and dietary precepts found in the Torah,” Petri explained .

Jesus teaches that fulfillment isn’t just conforming to rules — it’s an inner conversion, said Father Dr. Thomas Peter. (iStock)

“So in this teaching Jesus can teach us what the fulfillment of the law is,” said Peter.

“Fulfillment is more than conformity to external rules: do not commit adultery, do not murder, an eye for an eye,” he continued.

“Fulfillment is inner conversion: don’t even lust, don’t even be angry, forgive your enemies,” he continued.

“The good news is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts.”

This is “of course a much higher expectation that we cannot possibly achieve on our own,” said Petri.

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In this verse, “Jesus makes a remark about himself: He fulfills the law and the prophets. They all. Perfect,” he said.

“No man has ever been able to consistently or perfectly follow and practice the hundreds of commandments of the Mosaic Law,” he also said.

“Only Jesus, who is God and man, could do this.”

By suffering and dying on the cross, “Jesus accepts the penalty reserved for us sinners,” said Fr. Thomas Petri, president of the Dominican House of Study. (iStock)

Not only was Jesus able to perfectly keep the commandments of the Mosaic Law, but he also “takes upon himself the curse of those who break the law—who break the covenant with God,” said Peter.

By suffering and dying on the cross, “Jesus accepts the penalty reserved for us sinners,” he said.

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“The good news is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts,” said Peter.

He “not only fulfills the law and teaches us what fulfillment means, he enables us to live by it.”

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Petri added, “The Holy Spirit works in us to become more like Christ and better able to live as He lived—and to love as He loved.”